Good News On Purpose: Gross National Happiness

As I watched the Michael J. Fox special last night on ABC on being an eternal optimist the segment on Gross National Happiness leaped out at me, so I went online to do a little research which I share with you here in the form of a quote from Wikipedia and a YouTube video about how Bhutan is placing happiness of their people over productivity. So what is GNH:

"Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product."The term was coined in 1972 by Bhutan's former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who has opened up Bhutan to the age of modernization, soon after the demise of his father King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk. It signaled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many moral goals, it is somewhat easier to state than to define. Nonetheless, it serves as a unifying vision for the Five Year planning process and all the derived planning documents that guide the economic and development plans of the country.

"While conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance."

To learn how Bhutan, a small country between India and China is using this concept as a way of life and governing, take a look at this video.

What do you think? Is it time to start a movement for a Secretary of Happiness in our government. If anyone could connect with this idea I think we've got a president who could. What a transformation that would be.

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